The Truth of Idolatry

The Truth of Idolatry (Numbers 25:1-9)

Before we get into today’s passage, we need to set the scene.

Forty years have passed since Israel entered into the wilderness.
Because of their disobedience, God made an entire generation die out before the nation could enter the promised land.

Now, the time to crossover has come.
The new generation of Israelites are ready to enter the land.

But the king of Moab, a man named Balak, was threatened by the Israelites.
So he enlisted a sorcerer by the name of Balaam to curse God’s people.
However, God spoke to Balaam the sorcerer and warned him not to curse Israel.
Balaam actually blessed Israel three times because he could only say what God told him to say.
But, Balaam’s influence wasn’t all great as we will see.

Balaam’s influence was one of the gateway drugs that led Israel into idolatry.

I want to give you three facets of idolatry:

1. Idolatry begins with compromise (v.1-3)

1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab.

“Whore” means what it sounds like.
They entered into sexual immoral relationships with the pagan Moabites.
This compromise led them into full out idolatry.
Let’s define idolatry:

Idolatry: extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone.

Now, when that admiration, love and reverence is giving to God, it’s perfectly good and holy .
But when it’s given to anyone or anything other than God, that’s idolatry.

It’s the second commandment.

When it comes to idolatry, there was a constant and ever-present threat for Israel to compromise their faith with the indigenous religions and cultures of the area.

Somehow, the Israelite men got involved in sexual immorality with the Moabites.
The desire for fun and pleasure led them further down the road of compromise:

2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

Because they were involved in sin, they started to loosen their commitment to God.
Their desire for pleasure and sexual freedom led them to eventually start worshiping the gods of the Moabites.

3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

Yoking is what you do to two beasts of burden. As two oxen plow the land, you put a yoke around their necks. This yoke determines that they have to walk side by side. If one turns, the other has to turn, or there is a stalemate. We’re told here that Israel yoked himself to the false god Baal. Baal was the most popular god in the area. Popular things are attractive. And Israel struggled with this.
“ Everyone else worshiped Baal. See how great their lives are? You should too.”

So God’s righteous anger turned toward them.

We know from chapter 31 that this influence started under the influence and leadership of the sorcerer Balaam.

Numbers 31:16: Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.”He was greedy and used sorcery and other pagan religions practices. His influence was a gateway drug, so to speak, for the people to loosen their morals and commitment to God. Therefore, God sent a plague on them to turn their hearts back to him.
Their idolatry had led them to compromise their faith.

What does the Bible say about spiritual compromise?

1 Kings 18:21: And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

Baal worship was a common theme throughout Israel’s OT history.
Here, Elijah calls it out.
He says you can’t keep going back and forth between two different opinions of what is right and what is wrong.

Baal taught that
In other words, spiritual compromise is sin. God tells us the same in the NT:

Colossians 3:5: Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

And now we are without excuse. Because we’ve been told what is right.

James 4:17: So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

There’s a story I read online about a young married couple named Jeremy and Erin. Jeremy was sitting at home watching a baseball game on TV. Meanwhile, Erin was rifling through the kitchen making a racket. His wife, asked: ”Have you seen my recipe for shepherd's pie?" “"No, I ...," Jeremy couldn't recall ever having seen Erin's recipe for shepherd's pie. "What does it look like?”
"It's just a half page I clipped out of a magazine. The recipe is on one side with a Miracle Whip ad on the other.”

"No, I haven't seen it," Jeremy said giving Erin a small reassuring smile while still watching the game.

"I've looked everywhere." Erin's tone was pleading. Her eyes moved from her husband back towards the kitchen.

Jeremy looked through the contents of the junk drawer. Years' worth of takeout menus and coupons were piled on the counter. "I don't see it over here either," Jeremy reported. Erin's shoulders slumped. "I must have thrown it out accidentally.”

"Maybe you could find a different shepherd's pie recipe?" Jeremy asked doubtfully. Erin was not good with change.
As he predicted, Erin frowned at the thought. "I don't think another version would come out as well.”
"Maybe it will turn up," Jeremy offered. Erin smiled half-heartedly at the thought, "Maybe it will." She sighed and shrugged. "I guess I'd better get to the store. I'll figure out something else for dinner Wednesday night.” "Never mind that," said Jeremy, "Let's go out to dinner Wednesday night. Your pick.” Erin's smile was more genuine this time. For all her adherence to routine, Erin was quick to recognize the good of a situation. It was another trait Jeremy admired. "That would be nice. We could try that new Thai place?" Erin grabbed her list, gave Jeremy a quick kiss, and left. Jeremy smiled. He stuck his hands in his jeans' pockets. He loved his wife. He loved her small habits, her green eyes, her resilience. At the bottom of his pocket, his fingers brushed the frayed edge of a recipe clipped from a magazine.

Compromise may seem loving..but it’s always selfish. There’s usually a hidden motive.
Prevalent sin in our lives will loosen our commitment to Jesus.

Balaam spoke the truth of God.
But his life did not match up to His words.
He compromised his life, even though He believed in God. Idolatry begins with compromise.
Where are you tempted to compromise your faith through your lifestyle?
What influences exist in your life that you know are not good for you?
What behaviors do you find yourself involved in that you know are not good for you?
Don’t be surprised when these things lead you to soften your commitment to the God who saved you.

2. Idolatry continues with consequences (v.4-5)

4 And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”

God had a conditional relationship with Israel.
They knew very well the consequence for their sin was death. The chiefs of the tribes were hung out in the sun for everyone to see.
Leadership is a great responsibility. But there is stricter judgment for leaders who fall.
We do not have a conditional relationship with God in this way, yet there are still consequences to idolatry in our lives.

What does the Bible say about these consequences?

Proverbs 14:12: There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Our own sinful inclinations will lead us into what we think is right...but it’s death.

When children are small, they think they know what is right.
They have absolutely no life experience.
That’s what God gives them parents.

But things they think are fine and well can actually harm them. John David likes to play some video games my 16 year old has. There’s a game he likes that is very cartoonish and you shoot other players and the players just disappear if they’re shot.

But we just don’t think it’s good for a 4-year old to shoot people.
He sees nothing wrong with it, but there are issues of course.

Proverbs 3:11-12: 11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Because of Jesus, God’s discipline on us is not fatal.
Jesus took God’s judgment on the cross.
Yet, because we are children of God, we still are disciplined when we fall into patterns of sin and idolatry.

3. Idolatry ends with action (v.6-9)

6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

Finally, Phineas, the grandson of Aaron, who knew God’s Word took action and killed those responsible.
Again, the 10 Commandments say to not murder...but killing is not always sinful.

In this way, killing was just and right because of the plague that came upon Israel, killing 24,000 people.
The consequences of idolatry finally stopped when one of God’s servants took action.

In a similar way, we need to take action and kill the sin in our lives that leads us to idolatry.

What does the Bible say about killing sin in our lives?

Romans 8:12-13: 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Colossians 3:5-6: 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.